Red Sox in top spot despite lack of power

The all-time single-season Major League Baseball home run mark has been shattered this year, with the former record of 5,693, set in 2000, falling with a week and a half left in the regular season.

Quite a few more balls will be leaving parks before all is said and done.

If you're a Boston sports fan, this may have snuck up on you. After all, the Red Sox were dead last in the American League with 156 home runs entering play Tuesday. That total is 27th out of 30 MLB clubs.

Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts were tied for the team lead with 22. Long gone are the days of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz chasing 50 homers on the season.

Yet, somehow, the BoSox remain atop the AL East standings with a dozen or so games remaining on the schedule.

How? That's a good question. The starting pitching that was supposed to be the team's strength this season has fallen upon a relatively rough stretch, with even Chris Sale looking human lately. Rick Porcello isn't anywhere near what he was during last year's Cy Young campaign, Doug Fister has been hit-or-miss, and David Price has been relegated to the bullpen after returning from an elbow ailment.

Instead of being able to rake home runs, the Boston offense has fashioned itself as a scrappy, small-ball unit lately and the Red Sox have become a bit easier to root for because of it.

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The never-say-die characteristic of this team has been evident in each of its 18 extra-inning games this season. The Sox boast a 15-3 record and have played in some gems in that category -- including Monday's win over Orioles that saw Boston erase a 6-1 deficit to win 10-8 in 11 innings in Baltimore.

It's back-to-basics baseball. Get on, move runners along, mix in a double, a couple hits, and the next thing you know, it's a five-run frame.

There's the old Nike commercial from the '90s that claims "chicks dig the long ball," and the frequency of round trippers this season has certainly garnered some attention.

Except in Boston.

In the year of the home run, the Red Sox are grinding games out and it's working.

Notes from here and there: Fantasy football has made a football fan out of me. Sort of. No favorite teams; just pulling for certain players to succeed. Not sure that's good or not, but games are much more entertaining this way. ... New Jersey Devils forward Brian Boyle announced Tuesday that he's been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a treatable bone marrow cancer. Despite facing a long road and plenty of medication ahead, the Boston College product says he has his sights set on Oct. 7 -- the date of New Jersey's regular-season opener. How's that for toughness and dedication? ... On a personal note, my toddler has changed his mind on what he wants his baby brother to be called when he's born. No longer is it Tuukka; we've moved on to Bobby Orr. A step in the right direction.

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